Dispensing container



I June 4, 1940. THORN DISPENSING CONTAINER Filed Sept. 7, 1938 IINVENTOR. Paar/M 7/70,?

ATTORNEY Patented June 4, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 Claims.

This invention relates to dispensing containers.

It is an object of this invention to provide a new. and improvedinexpensive container for tooth paste or other substances which can be 5opened and closed by a single movement of the fingers and in which thecontinued movement of the fingers in the opening direction will causethe controlled discharge of a portion of the contents.

It is a further object to provide a device of the character describedwhich can be produced at a minimum of expense consistent with perfectoperation.

It is a further object to provide a device in which the material to bedispensed is contained within a flexible tube and is discharged bytwisting said tube and having means to allow for the shortening of thetube by the twisting process with a minimum of expense consistent withef-' ficiency.

It is a further object to provide a device in which the tube itself maybe made of the material known as Pliofilm, which has been found to haveproperties peculiar and important for this use.

The invention accordingly comprises an article of manufacture possessingthe features, properties and the relation of elements which will beexemplified in the article hereinafter described and the scope of theapplication of which will be 3 indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention,reference should be had to the following detailed description, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawing,

35 in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a device embodying this invention, partbeing cut away.

Figure 2 is a section on the line 22 of 'Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side elevation partly in section showing the device withthe material 'partly dispensed. Figure 4 is a plan view of the flexiblebottom used in the container.

In the drawing the numeral l0 designates a cylindrical tube of anysuitable material having the necessary flexibility and impermeability,but in my experience the substance known as Pliofilm possesses uniqueproperties in that because of .its elasticity and characteristics whichwill withstand "an amount of manipulation far in excess of that which itwill receive in practice without cracking or tearing and which willretain its properties even under prolonged exposure. For these reasons Iprefer to make the device of Pliofilm which, moreover, possesses theunique property that at the base of the device where the tube is to beclosed it may be welded together under heat.

30 I This tube In is folded back at its bottom and preferably may becompletely closed by heating it while pressing it together to form a titII.- The upper end of the tube It! is carried inside a cap l2 havingcylindrical walls I3 and an end wall M. The upper end of the tube III isheld in firm engagement with the inside of the cylindrical wall l3 bymeans of a ring l5 and the cylindrical wall I3 is preferably providedwith a slight recess I6 so as to hold the ring I5 in place.

Rotatably mounted upon the cap I! is an outer member I! having an endwall I8 parallel to the end wall I4 of the cap I! and between these endwalls is mounted a shutter l9 pivoted at one end to the end wall I4 asshown at 20 and pivoted at the other end to the end wall l8 as shown at2|. The end wall I4 is preferably pressed upwardly in the center toconcentrate the pressure between the parts at that point and it will beunderstood that in one position of the shutter aligned openings areprovided in the end walls l4 and I8 and in the shutter but that onrotation of the outer member the shutter is moved to the side to closethe openings. This form of shutter is more fully disclosed in my priorPatpaste board or the like having at its lower end a Y metallic plate 26provided with flanges 21 which are crimped around the end of the casing25 and provided at its center with an opening 28 to receive and retainthe tit ll of the tube Ill.

The metallic plate 26 is preferably arranged to yield along the axis ofthe casing while retaining the tit II against rotation relative to thecasing. To this end there may be provided in the metallic plate aplurality of circular slots 29,

30 and 3| which are concentric with each other.

Each of these slots is interrupted at various points around the circleas shown at 29a; 30a and Ma.

The interruptions in one slot being angularly' displaced from theinterruptions in the other so as to form a series of semi-cylindricalspring flngers capable of yielding transverse to the paper as shown inFigure 4 but resisting rotative movement betweenthe'inside and theoutside'of the plate.

,With this construction as the tube is gradually twisted to dischargethe contents and hence has a tendency to shorten, a portion of theyielding occurs within the tube itself because of the elasticity of thePliofilm, but a portion of the yield ing also occurs by reason of theconstruction'of I the end plate as shown in Figure 4.

. section having one bend 33 embracing and clamping the upper end of thecasing 25 and having a reversed bend 34 adapted to receive and supportthe lower edge of the cylindrical wall l3 of the cap l2.

The parts heretofore described are readily held in their assembledposition by means of the flexible tube ll).-

With this construction it will be clear that when the outer member [1 isrotated relative to,

the casing 25 that if the cap I2 is held against rotation, the shutterwill be opened and if thereafter the rotation of the outer member I! becontinued, the shutter having reached the limit of its relative rotationwill carry the cap with it and thus any further rotation of the outermemher will turn the cap I! relative to the casing and twist theflexible tube to expel its contents. A reve'rse'moveinent of the outermember I! will move it relative to the cap I! and close the shutter. Anyfurther movement in the reverse direction, if permitted, will then carrythe cap I! with it, partially untwisting the tube.

I prefer to provide the device with a ratchet construction which willprevent the cap i2 moving in the reverse direction relative to thecasing 25. To accomplish this result there is struck out from thecylindrical wall IS a spring pressed point 35 which is bent outwardly toengage the circumferential wall 36 of the flange 32 and thiscircumferential wall is provided with a series of openings 31 into whichthe spring pressed point may fall as the cap I2 is rotated.

With this construction it will be clear that on closing the device theouter member ll will be limited in its movement and cannot untwlst thetube.

In operation it will be clear that the user may grasp the casing 25 withthe third and fourth fingers of the hand and then twist the outer memberH with the thumb and first finger, which movement will first open theclosure member and then exude the contents. When the proper amount isexuded the movement of the thumb and first finger in the oppositedirection will close the device. As the flexible tube I is twisted itshortens and a part of this shortening is compensated by thev stretch ofthe elastic material and a part of it is compensated by the yielding ofthe plate 26.

In the completed tube there may be provided a disc 38 to close thebottom of the casing.

Since certain changes may be made in the above construction anddifierent embodiments of the invention could be made without departingfrom the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in theabove description or shown in, the accompanying drawing shall beinterpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also. to be understood that the following claims are intended tocoverall of the generic and specific features of the invention hereindescribed, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, 'as amatter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is:

l. A container comprising a flexible nonmetallic tubing, a rigid rim towhich the upper portion of tube is attached, a closure memher forclosing the tube'mounted on said rim, said closure member being operableand closable by a partial rotation of a member about the axis of thetube, a casing surrounding said tube, means on said casing for holdingthe bottom end of said tube and means on the upper portion of saidcasing for engaging and supporting said rim, the lower end of the tubebeing connected to the casing by a plate having a plm'ality ofconcentric circumferential grooves interrupted atspaced points, thegrooves of one diameter being spaced opposite to the interruptions ofradially adjaend of said container with suiflcient tension to hold saidring upon said casing.

3. A device in accordance with claim 2 having cooperating means betweensaid ring and said casing serving as a ratchet to prevent rotation inone direction.

4. A container comprising a cylindrical casing having a rim fastenedupon one end thereof carrying an upwardly facing channel, a ring havinga down'wardly extending flange fitting within said channel, a closureupon said ring, a flexible tubular bag of Pliofilm having its mouthattached to said ring andits body within said casing, a bottom for saidcasing having an upwardly facing groove into which the bottom of saidcasing extends, said bottom having a central opening and the lower endof said container being gathered together and held in said opening, saidcontainer being held sufiiciently taut between said bottom and said ringto hold the said parts in place.

5. A device in accordance with claim 4 in which said ring and rim areprovided with cooperating parts to serve as'a ratchet to permit rotationin one direction.

6. A container comprising a cylindrical casing, a ring having a channelfitting over one end of said casing, a bottom having a channel fittingover the other end of said casing, said ring and bottom forming twoparts one of which is removable from said casing and rotatable thereon,a tubular flexible container having a mouth attached to said ring andmeans connecting the other end of said tubular container with saidbottom adapted to impose suflicient tension on said container to holdsaid parts in place.

'7. A container comprising a support, a pair of relatively rotatablemembers carried by said support, a tubular flexible container having amouth PERCY M. THORN.

. fixed to one of said members and means for con- I

